Patrick’s Musings

This is a test of my mobile blogging using the Blackberry wordpress client.

A month ago I took a leap into the unknown world of Smartphones and purchased a Blackberry Bold 9000. This is my first 3g internet enabled phone. After 3 happy years with my Motorola L6 and GPRS. Naturally I’m eagre to start using my GtD system on it. Especially as my employer blocks both Evernote & Sugarsync from the office.

I have installed Evernote for Blackberry, Remember the Milk‘s RTM for Blackberry and SugarSync for Blackberry. Three fantastic applications that I use daily. Sugarsync is not strictly GTD, it’s a file synchronisation program that allows me to keep important documents synced between my 3 computers, PDA and now my Blackberry. How can I Get Things Done if I don’t have access to my files?

I also have Google Sync for Blackberry to keep my Calendar & Contacts up to date.

First up, gripes. RtM for Blackberry uses Blackberry categories to sync to RtM lists, not tags. As the Blackberry allows multiple category per todo item and RtM only allows an item to be in one list I think this is a big fail by RtM, who I normally think of as a fantastic and enlightened company. Sugarsync also has a major flaw, when attempting to open a PDF on my Blackberry it gives an error that I don’t have a default viewer installed. Despite the fact the Blackberry Messaging and Browser both open PDF files without an issue.

Now, the system.

• I use Evernote to capture all my notetaking thoughts. Minutes in meetings, pictures I take, audio thoughts etc.
• I rely on the task manager to know what I’m doing. Everytime I get a task I record it in the task manager. Using classic GTD style categories, @work, @home, @computer etc.
• I use the Calendar for fixed date events & the tasks list for due anytime events.
• I ignore emails and SMS when I am in a ‘non phone’ environment, for instance in a meeting.

Because I always have my phone on me, I can review tasks at will. When I’m on the train, waiting for the train, standing in line at the supermarket, I can whip out my Blackberry open the task manager and review my task list quickly and easily. The weekly review was always my GTD failure. I never did it. Now I do a daily or even hourly review. Not stricly what David Allen suggests, but the important thing is, it works for me.

Is it making me hyper productive? Not yet, but I think I’ve improved.

Tips:

• I wired the left hand quick access key to Evernote. Quick access makes a difference.
• I still stick to the ‘if it’s going to take less than 2 minutes and you can do it now, do it now’ rule.
• Buy an extended battery. All this lifehacking really drains the juice. Especially minuting a meeting in Evernote.
• I scan every paper document I get and put it in a Sugarsync managed folder. If someone calls me while I’m in thousands of kilometres from home to talk about an invoice they sent me, I darn well want to be able to find that invoice then and there. If I received it, it will be in Sugarsync.